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College lecturer and commentator Dr Natalio D. Wheatley aka Sowande Uhuru has said the people of the Virgin Islands must educate themselves and engage the public on the issues facing the Territory’s financial services sector. Photo: Facebook

ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- Ahead of a march planned for May 24, 2018 to demonstrate the Territory’s displeasure with attempts by the United Kingdom to derail the Virgin Islands’ legitimate financial services sector, a number of persons from the sector as well as business persons will be engaged in a public discussion at The Moorings Conference Room, Wickham’s Cay II, today, May 10, 2018 to brainstorm the way forward for the industry.

The meeting, scheduled for 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M., will also see professionals from the financial services sector examine the possible impact on financial services and the economy by the recent amendment to the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill, brought to the United Kingdom’s House of Commons by the Opposition, to make beneficial owners of offshore companies in the Overseas Territories (OTs) public.

Posting on his Facebook page today, college lecturer and commentator Dr Natalio D. Wheatley aka Sowande Uhuru said the meeting is a “non-partisan forum for mature, sober-minded, and responsible discussion about the potential implications of the recently amended Sanctions and Anti Money Laundering Bill passed in the UK House of Commons imposing public registers of beneficial ownership on the Virgin Islands and other overseas territories.”

Mr Wheatley added that the people of the Virgin Islands must educate themselves and engage the public.

“We must not panic. We must be proactive in providing the solutions which are required in the best interest of the people of the Virgin Islands…”

It is unclear who exactly has organised the meeting scheduled for this afternoon.

We are not panicking!

Speaking as a guest on the Honestly Speaking show with Mr Claude O. Skelton Cline on Tuesday May 8, 2018 on ZBVI 780 A.M., author of the book 'Financial Services Demystified', Lawyer, co-writer and composer of the Territorial Song and member of the organising committee of the national march, Ms Ayana S. Hull had said the Territory had no need to go into panic mode following recent developments and that the industry is still stable.

“I haven’t seen any fall out in the industry. …Our Investors are used to this. Until when things settle and they understand exactly what the issue is, we haven’t seen so much movement,” she stated.

She went on to explain that “Our issue is not worrying about the immediacy of losing our business, we are not panicking in the industry. We are really concerned about whether we should have someone just determining every two or three years, every time we do something that you should move the goal post and have us like a hamster on a wheel. That’s the real issue for us...”

Who is organizing the March? Is it the financial service, the government or who? I am sure our leaders government and opposition will come together and decide what actions should be taken. Let us not jump before the horse. People must be educated on what they are about to do.

Tell them organizers go shit down it had several issues before that we needed to march for and where were these people reaping financially of the broken system
March against the unjustice of our people
1 cruise pier
2 BVI Airways
3 bi water
4 E S H S
5 corrupt government
6 broken health care
7 bank and insurance company
8 unjust extradition case
The list goes on

Say the march goes as planned...what exactly are we predicting is the impact?...I mean we are here and the UK government is a whole ocean away. Not like we have the UK gov literally in our backyard. Is the reputable BBC gonna be here to deliver our plea on an international stage to sensationalize this March or are we gonna take some phones vids and upload to social media? I understand our cry but considering the circumstance is a March an effective approach. I say all the OT form a consortium body and demand at first a well publicised debate with the UK so the world hear our sides. Last resort if no mutual grounds met...I say complete non compliance by the OT' s.

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